Mouse chromosome 2 has been linked to a variety of disorders including airway hyperesponsiveness and obesity (DeSanctis et al., Nature Genetics, 11: 150-154 (1995)); (Nagle et al, Nature, 398: 148-152 (1999)). This region of the mouse genome is homologous to portions of human chromosome 20 including 20p13-p12. Although human chromosome 20p13-12p has been linked to a variety of genetic disorders including diabetes insipidus, neurohypophyseal, congenital endothelial dystrophy of cornea, insomnia, neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation 1 (Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome), fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, alagille syndrome, hydrometrocolpos (McKusick-Kaufman syndrome), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Straussler disease (See National Center for Biotechnology Information world wide web.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim/), the genes affecting these disorders have yet to be discovered. There is a need in the art for identifying specific genes for such disorders because they are also associated with obesity, lung disease, particularly, inflammatory lung disease phenotypes such as Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and asthma. Identification and characterization of such genetic compositions will make possible the development of effective diagnostics and therapeutic means to treat lung related disorders.